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Premier Lands Todd ‘Hockey’ Smith Collection

Premier Auctions, the Arizona-based auction house that is predominately recognized for selling signed pieces, is selling one of the largest collections of game-used hockey sticks and equipment that has been offered to the public in years. The collection is one which has spawned from a deep and passionate love of the game with not one piece from this collection having ever been purchased from the secondary market.

Each piece in this collection was obtained directly from players, equipment men or arena personnel by Todd Smith, or “Hockey” as he was affectionately known around the rinks he frequented while acquiring this massive collection. “He played in the minors, but was friends with all these guys because he lived in Minnesota and California,” said Walter Cerini, co-owner of Premier Auctions. “He knew the trainers, and what he used to do at the Coyotes training rink, I guess they have a practice there in the morning and he would skate. If the guys wanted to shoot at a goalie the trainers would say, ‘Hey Hockey, wanna get between the pikes?’ And he would train with them.”

Smith was a two-sport athlete and had tryouts with both the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars and MLB’s Minnesota Twins. Some highlights from the collection include game-used sticks from current and future Hall of Famers such as Gordie Howe, Ray Bourque, Dennis Potvin, Mike Gartner, Mark Messier, Pat LaFontaine, Mike Modano and more.

This collection also includes some milestone sticks, including the stick used by Joe Sakic to score career goals Nos. 398, 399 and 400, and a stick used by Chris Chelios in the 1984 Olympics.

Smith’s collection will be offered to the public over the coming month’s, beginning with Premier Auctions’ June 26 online auction, which is now open for bidding.

To register to bid in this or future auctions, contact Premier Auctions via their website at www.premierauctionsonline.com or by phone at (480) 991-8076.